Of Water and Ice
by pherion
Summary: [Gruvia BountyHunter!AU] Juvia Loxar is desperately searching for an armor. But things aren't going exactly as she thought they would be.


**A/N**: This is my share of **Yuuba**'s Bounty Hunter AU. It's from Tumblr and it's wonderful. Enjoy reading!

**Of Water and Ice: Part One**

"C'mon Gray, you really need to find a master," Natsu said with some concern in his voice to Gray.

Natsu, Gray and Lucy we're sitting in the local pub. Gajeel, Levy and Pantherlily have already left half an hour ago. Now, again, they're discussing Gray's health, which is lowering dramatically. Since he hadn't had a master for a few months, it's been complicated.

Gray huffed in response. "I don't need to do anything. I'm perfect on my own."

"Gray, we all know you're slowly dying if you keep on going on like this," Lucy said, also with a little concern. She's holding Happy, who's fallen asleep in her arms. "You really should care a little more about yourself. You aren't as fast as you were three months ago, this isn't okay and you know that!"

"Whatever."

Natsu turned to Lucy. "We should let him be. If he wants to die this slowly death, even though I don't want to, we can do nothing but accept it. C'mon, Luce, I've found this new job we need to complete. Let's wake Happy, go and pack our stuff."

"Right," Lucy said, and took one last look at Gray. She's really concerned about him. He really needs blood… And if it could, she would give him some of hers, but that's not allowed and Gray would only suffer more.

Gray sighs. "This is so fucked up," he whispered after Lucy, Natsu and Happy took their leave. "I don't need a fucking master, I'm good enough on my own. Fuck."

"Look at that," someone whispered from the other side of the pub. "Isn't that Gray Fullbuster? That lonely armor?"

Gray heard it all, all a little too well. It angered him. He wasn't some kind of lonely person. He's just an armor without master, how hard is it to understand?

One of the persons from that other side of the pub had moved a little to his direction. Gray looks up. Who's that? It's a girl, having dark blonde hair and very little clothes on. Was she trying to seduce him like this? "What do you want," he snapped. She looked really weak.

That scared the girl a little. "I… uh, hi," she started. Gray nodded in response. "You're Gray Fullbuster, right?" He nodded again. "Right. So I heard you've been without a master for a while, and since you're an armor and I'm a master and looking still looking for an armor…"

He didn't even listen anymore to what she had to say after she had asked if he was Gray Fullbuster. Probably shit, was his only thought.

"So, what do you think?" the girl asked, getting Gray out of his thoughts.

"Think of what?" he questioned, dumbfounded.

The girl sighed. "From my offer. If you want to be my armor."

Ah, yes. There was it again. The usual 'do you want to be my armor' question. Why couldn't people understand that he didn't want to be anyone's armor?!

"No."

"But-"

"You're too weak," he said as final and stood up, leaving some money behind for the bartender as his paying for his bill and left. The girl stood there with her mouth agape, not understanding how he could be so mean and directly saying that she was too weak.

Gray let the door of the pub fall close behind him and he stomped away.

"Fucking kids, thinking they can be my master. No fucking way in hell they will," he mumbles. "No fucking way in hell _anyone _will." Sighing, he shoots a pebble away with his foot. "Life's so fucking unfair. Even Natsu got himself a master."

Being one of the higher level armors like Natsu, he has to admit he's jealous of Natsu and his master, Lucy. Levy found herself an armor, Gajeel who was actually a dark armor to begin with, which she barely can hold and carry around. A big plot twist in their Fairy Hunter group was that Bixlow actually teamed up with Lisanna and Mirajane with Laxus. And he doesn't even need to start about Erza who's actually dating her master, Jellal.

But all of that aside, Gray notices he got a little tired from this short walk he already made. "I'm getting rusty, indeed." He sighed and shook his head. "No. I need blood."

_**#**_

"Watch out! That's Juvia Lockser. I tell ya, that women as a master is certainly no good."

Juvia looked up in the direction where they were talking about her. To her grief, the guys who were whispering about her fled as fast as they could. Juvia was sitting in a cafeteria at this late time and those two were also definitely drunks.

Juvia stood up and paid her bill to the waiter who sent her angsty looks. He quickly took the money off the counter and disappears into the kitchen. When she turned around to make a move to walk outside, she saw the people who were still in the cafeteria hiding under the tables or trying to not make any eye contact with her.

Sighing, she ignores them and leaves the cafeteria. She looked up to the sky while walking and thought back.

She thought back to two months earlier, the last time she wore an armor. She totally blew it and her armor passed away. That was the fifth time. The fifth time her armor died. She wanted to become a hunter so bad, but all these times, with all these five armors, it all went wrong. Whenever they were on a mission to kill the dragons, she blew it. She totally blew it. Again.

The first time she had an armor, she was beaten so bad, the armor had fallen lifeless off of her and that was her first curse. The second time, the armor she had was badly injured and couldn't be living as an armor anymore. A month later she heard he committed suicide. She was heartbroken but still wanted another armor. The third died while recovering from their mission. The fourth was murdered in the midst of the battle and Juvia herself barely made it out alive. The fifth… Well the fifth is a whole another story.

And ever since half a year ago, she's been called a witch. She was jinxed. The townspeople are afraid of her. They don't dare to talk to her. They don't want to come near her and fear her. When she arrives in another city or town, within no-time they all know who she is.

She sighed. "Just what is Juvia doing wrong? All Juvia wanted to become was a hunter, but why is everything going wrong?"

"Rain women. So you want to become a hunter, huh?" a dark and gloomy voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

Juvia looked to the place where the voice came from and her eyes fall on an alley. "Who was that?" she asks.

A person emerges from the dark. "Hello, Juvia Loxar," the person says.

"And who are you?" she questioned the man. "And how do you know Juvia is called the Rain women?

"Names are not important," he said. "But I hear that you wanted to become a hunter with a powerful armor?" He looked at her, and to Juvia it seemed as if his eyes were piercing right through her. She was a little doubtful about this man. "Why don't we go to my house, I'll explain what kind of armor I am, you agree and we'll make a contract? Doesn't that sound like an amazing plan or what?"

Juvia nodded, a little uncertain. "Right," she agreed anyway. "Show Juvia the way." Why not try it out, she thought. It couldn't hurt her, right? But this will probably be her last time she'll trust another armor. Somewhere does Juvia have that feeling that this time it will go alright.

"Good girl," the man said, grinning. "Follow me." He started walking past her and Juvia turned around to follow him

Something was off, but Juvia couldn't point out what. The atmosphere around them was creepy, eerie, and preferably Juvia wanted to go home, but she had already agreed to come with the man. Anyways, she followed him to his house. The whole trip to the house was a quiet trip. She didn't dare to talk and he didn't start a topic to talk about.

Juvia sighed. If he's going to be this quiet when she agrees to work with him, she isn't that excited anymore.

Not that he was anyway, but she really wanted to be a master to hunt the dragons. And as a master you need an armor. And here, an armor came in front of her to ask if she needed one.

But there was something with that vibe of his. It's just wasn't right. And Juvia knew that. But she was too ignorant to actually care. Because this was finally an armor that asked for her, _her _who's the jinxed one, to be her master.

"Come inside, stop dreaming," the man said harsh. "We're here."

Juvia nodded and followed the man inside.

The interior of the house was odd and creepy, just like the man himself. And Juvia still didn't know what the man's name was. Was this really a good idea?

"Are ya gonna stand there forever or are ya gonna come in?"

"Oh… Ah," she said. She heard some noises coming out of the living room but didn't question it.

"Oi, Cobra, s'that you? What'd ya bring this time?"

It sounded like she was some kind of object… She simply ignored it and walked behind the man, into the room.

"Yeah. Got myself a new master, only need to sign the contract and we're done," he replied to the man.

"So your name is Cobra," Juvia said, looking at the man. The man turned to her and now she saw what he looked like. Dark spiky hair, pointy teeth and a scar running up his right eye.

"Yeah. I'm Cobra," the man spoke, "Cobra of the Poison. Take a seat and I'll tell ya about it. Do you want a drink or something?" he asked and gestured to the couch, next to the man that first spoke of his name.

Juvia shook her head and while looking at the man, chills went up her spine and she was unable to react. The man that sat on the couch was not so healthy-looking. She swallowed and went to sit next to the man anyway. The man, Cobra, had disappeared into another room -probably the kitchen- and was probable to be away for a few minutes.

"So who're ya?" the man on the couch asked.

"Juvia Loxar," she replied.

The man looked at her, shocked. "J- Juvia Loxar?" he stuttered. When she nodded in response, the man's shocked face became a smirky one. "Right, Juvia," he said, looking in her eyes, coming really close. His hand went up to her face and she flinched. When he touched her chin, his finger moved along her jawline to her ear, grabbing a strand of hair and twirling it around his finger.

Juvia closed her eyes, she did not want to feel this creeped out feeling she felt right now.

"Vivaldus, hands off," Cobra said, entering the room. "You can't have her." He's closed his eyes and settles himself on the couch. Opening his eyes, he started to speak. "Vivaldus, Ikagura, leave."

Ikaruga…? Juvia looked up and saw there was another person sitting in the same room, a women. She had long, bright pink hair, tied in two large buns. Her face was the color of peaches.

The women did not say anything and eyed Juvia. She left the room quietly and barely noticeable.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Juvia Loxar," the man named Vivaldus said. Juvia shook her head, letting her sight wander from the women to Vivaldus and nodded.

"Yes, same," she said politely, still a little frightened of the man.

Cobra sighed. "I'm sorry. Anyways, like I said, my name's Cobra of the Poison. As my name says, I'm an armor that's poisonous. My type is very rear and basically I'm the only armor like this. They also call it a Dragon Slaying armor."

Dragon Slaying armor? She had never heard of that before. Must be some rare armor indeed.

"So you wanna become a team, or nah?" he asked.

"Juvia doesn't know yet…" she replied. "Juvia's isn't sure yet."

Cobra was getting a little angry, Juvia could tell. And he was quiet for a few moments. "Right," he finally said. "Right," he repeated. "It's okay, just think about it and I'll go, yeah…" His face turned sad and Juvia didn't know how to react on this. He stood up and started to walk away.

Juvia was uncomfortable. Should she do it? Now Cobra was a little sad and Juvia didn't like it when people were sad. But what could she do? Give in to him and become his master? This might be her only last chance to ever become a full-fledged hunter. Somewhere she had a feeling that he would not die on her.

"Juvia'll do it," she said as final.

Cobra stopped in his steps. "You what?" he asked to make sure he didn't misunderstand.

"Juvia will become the master for you as armor," she repeated. Her eyes went up to his face and she saw a glint of happiness, but somewhere she didn't feel so right with this.

"Perfect."

_**#**_

"Gray, you'll be sorry for this!" Lucy yelled, but Gray ignored it and stepped out of their Fairy Hunter building.

A loud bang was heard and Gray flinched. "I don't fucking care for the thousandth time!" he yelled back.

"Gray, get back here inside! We'll not accept this slowly dying of yours!" Erza. Erza was mad. Now he was running, if Erza was mad, you did absolutely _not_ want to oppose her.

He didn't care. So what if he was dying? It was his own fault. He didn't want to work with anyone else anymore. Groups suck anyway. He rather worked alone.

Gray stopped running and started walking on a normal and slow pace. He noticed he entered a small and calm street. The houses were standing close to each other and the air around here was rather eerie. He closed his eyes trying to let the air around here fall and feeling a breeze on his face.

"O-Okay, well, see you tomorrow then?" someone –a women- stuttered, making Gray opening his eyes. A closing door was loudly heard and the women muttered a small "Okay." He saw her turning around and walking away, in his direction. For some way he liked the way her hair flowed in that small breeze.

Gray ignored her without further ado and walked past her on his own pace. He felt her gaze on him after they crossed each other. And a moment later he heard her a loud thud followed with a womanly scream, "Ah!"

He turned around, seeing that the women had fallen on the ground. He rolled his eyes, "Tch," he muttered. "Oi, are you okay?" he asked, bringing up the gentleman in him. The women froze in her movements, he could tell. Gray smelled the odor of blood. "You have blood, let me see," he demanded.

"No, no, I'm okay!" she said hurriedly. Standing up, he saw blood dripping from her left leg.

"Don't lie," he said. What was he doing? Talking like this to a total stranger –a women for crying out loud. He bend down and the women blushed. "Let me help," he said, kindly. If he wasn't going to live any longer, he could just as well play nice guy.

"Oh, euh, thank you," she said, slowly, almost stuttering. He was almost able to feel her heartbeat quickening.

He just nodded in response. "The name's Gray Fullbuster," he introduced, as he went to carefully freeze the wound, "and I'm an armor." He did not know why he said that. He could practically smell she was a master but he certainly did not want another person wanting him to be their armor.

"Juvia L-Loxar," she replied, introducing herself, "Juvia is a master."

"I could tell," he replied to that. He retrieved his hand and look up at her face. "You're done, now don't go falling next time that easily," he said jokingly and grinned.

Juvia blushed and her hand went to her face. "Th…thank you," she thanked.

"No problem," he said and walked away.

"Maybe we'll see each other another time?" she yelled after him, sounding a little hopeful.

He smirked, "Maybe," he responded. "Maybe really soon," he muttered, words that Juvia was unable to hear.

Soon… He was worried about her. But why? Maybe it was because of the scent that lingered around her… He did not trust that scent. He knew he smelled it somewhere before but could not point his finger at it. But it was bad, and he knew.

_**#**_

**A/N:** Thank you so much for reading! This was the first part to my Bounty Hunter AU from Yuuba's ideas. There will be a second and last chapter, so see you next time!


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